mazel
Pronunciations
mazel | (MAH-zull) | listen |
Definitions
n. Luck.
interj. Congratulations.
n. (biblical) A constellation, astrological sign; astrological influence.
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Example Sentences
Languages of Origin
- Textual Hebrew
- Yiddish
- Modern Hebrew
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Etymology
TH מזל mazál > Y מזל mazl, L mazal, MH מַזָּל mazál
- Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
- Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
- Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
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- North America
- Great Britain
- South Africa
- The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
- Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
- The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
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Who Uses This
Regions
Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
mazels, mazl, mazal, mazzel
Notes
The "luck" usage is common among Orthodox Jews, and the "short for mazel tov" usage is common among young Jews, as a Jewish instance of slang abbreviations. "Mazels" is common among young Jews, especially women. What Happens Live with Andy Cohen featured a segment: "Mazel of the day" (alongside "Jackhole of the day"), where "mazel" is used as short for "mazel tov" (congratulations).
In Biblical Hebrew, mazal refers to a constellation of stars (associated with idol worship). "Through the influence of astrology, the term came to be associated with a person's fate... and fortune" (Steinmetz). For more information about this usage, see Mazalot.
plural: 'mazalot'
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